Retrieval of concentrations of seawater natural components from reflectance spectrum

Results of the seawater reflectance coefficient measurements carried out in 2002 – 2014 on the oceanographic platform of Marine Hydrophysical Institute using spectrophotometer designed by authors are discussed. Reflectance is measured in range 390 – 700 nm with 2.5 nm step. The light reflected by sea surface is taken into account by special measurement technique. The processing algorithm allows to calculate the following seawater biooptical characteristics: concentration of phytoplankton pigments, absorption by nonliving organic matter and backscattering by suspended matter, and also to detect presence of auxiliary photosynthetic pigments based on the reconstructed spectrum of phytoplankton absorption. The proposed method makes it possible to carry out operational sub-satellite monitoring of marine environment and to validate the algorithms of remote sensing data processing.